Weekend Best Bets 'Medea' in spotlight at FSU

Jaelani Henderson plays the lead role in Fitchburg State University's MainStage production of "Medea," opening tonight.

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FITCHBURG -- Fitchburg State University's Kelly Morgan is directing the classic Greek tragedy "Medea" by Euripides, which opens at 7:30 tonight at the Wallace Center for The Performing Arts (formerly McKay Auditorium).

"I am directing with a unique spin on the mythic tale that has always been translated and adapted with a sexist perspective -- by males," Morgan said.

Medea, is the story of the Princess Colchis (pronounced Cole-kus, from the Greek name Kolkhis), who has been put under a love spell by Jason, a Greek adventurer (Jason and the Argonauts) whose true intention it is to steal "The Golden Fleece" from Medea's father, King Aeëtes of Colchis.

Under this spell she betrays her own family and country, steals the Golden Fleece, weds Jason and bears him two sons, Mermeros and Pheres. When Jason tires of her and seeks to marry a younger, Greek princess, the spell is broken and Medea sees the harsh reality of her life.

"We have a few special effects. Every aristocratic home back in those days had some thing of prominence, like an altar -- ours is a fountain," said Morgan, who would divulge only that the production will include fog machines, lights and sound to bring the audience into Medea's world.

"I don't want to give them all away," he said Monday afternoon from his FSU office.

"The technical students worked very hard on the research and crafting of the production. One of our students developed a Greek mask for a fountain where water shoots out of its mouth.

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Another student in charge of props crafted the building of a miniature ship of the Argo, and the scenic draping of the cloth designed by a student lends itself to a mythical atmosphere."

Morgan explained that the Greek Chorus of Women is a constant presence in the play, and that the production will be performed without intermission so as not to break the spell of the powerful story. Medea, played by Jaelani Henderson, is eventually forced into exile where she is given a single day to plan a devastating departure.

He said that ancient plays are alive and well, with more than 1,200 professional productions last year alone in the United States. The works continue to reflect the same realities still present in today's social, moral and economical culture.

Morgan, a professor and theater coordinator in the Communication Media Department, said in the past, many adaptations have approached the play as "hell hath no fury as a woman scorned - she's crazy jealous."

"The point is, in the myth they forget to bring out the fact that she was drugged by an arrow, shot from the bow of Eros, Greek name for Cupid, at order of the Greek goddess, Aphrodite, in support of the Greek adventurer, Jason," he said.

"Medea, under the drug, kills her brother and other countrymen, steals the Golden Fleece, protects Jason and his crew from a wide range of dangerous creatures, and gives birth to two sons only to awaken in the Greek land of Corinth," he said. "She is now exiled from her home -- now she's in Greece, and after all this, the now middle-aged, no longer the youthful adventurer Jason decides that he wants to be a politician and he wants to marry Kreon's daughter Kreusa, because Kreon doesn't have a son to carry on the blood line. Medea loses everything, for she is now exiled."

Morgan feels strongly that the play, historically, has not been portrayed fairly in light of Medea's plight.

"Though she has all these powers, Jason gets all the credit for her powers and that is not being played out in the past renditions," he said.

Morgan points out that the play also addresses issues of racism and women's rights "Medea in our cast and her children are black actors," said Morgan, adding, "We follow the actual myth."

Brittany Messuri is a member of the Greek Chorus of Women.

"Part of the main reason the chorus is on stage the whole time is that we care about Medea. We check in on her, we watch the whole story unfold and we try to sway her decision," Messuri said.

"They pounded on the floor, and dragging their hands, it sounds like rowing. They do other sounds, some with constant hissing, or buzzing -- organic sounds -- and others like clapping, stamping and echoes where we want to sense Medea's enhanced pain," Morgan said.

"We have a few echoes right before the climax of the story, repeating the word 'fate' as the lights come down. The audience tenses up because they know what is about to happen," Messuri said.

As director, Morgan has pushed the chorus to exude the tone of despair expressed through desolate moaning, crying, and sobbing or the sharp burst of condemnation through harsh expletives such as, 'Huh!!' a clear rebuking of Jason's statements and actions, or they desperately plead for mercy with the King of Corinth in Greece where the tragedy takes place.

Morgan says the production makes use of a kind of stylized version when it comes to costumes, with the women dressed in the flavor of the era, and the men in more modern costumes.

"The goal is to let the story and message of Euripides all those thousands of years ago, with aspects of the story still prevalent today -- sexism, bigotry, prejudice, racism -- show the fact the men are very misogynistic," he said.

One of Morgan's biggest challenges was letting go of any bias as a male director.

"For me, it was being patient and letting the students go off by themselves to find the sounds for the chorus. I didn't want any male influence," he said.

Morgan expects feedback from colleagues, students and the community who attend the play.

At the end, Morgan said, the audience might not side with Medea.

"But ask yourself," he said, "what would you have done -- a woman, a mother -- under the same circumstances during this period of time?"

Performances April 7 and 14 at 6 p.m.; April 8, 9, 15 and 16 at 7:30 p.m.; April 9, 10 and 16 at 2 p.m. Free admission.

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